DWI Suspect Dies In Custody At Bay Shore Police Precinct

Suffolk County Police said Joseph Leonard, age 58, of West Islip, was found dead in his holding cell at the agency’s 3rd Precinct in Bay Shore at around 9 a.m. Friday, April 26.

It came hours after he was arrested in Brentwood Thursday evening, April 25, following a suspected drunk driving crash on Pine Aire Drive near 5th Avenue.

Police said Leonard was driving a Jeep Wrangler with a revoked license when he rear-ended a vehicle stopped at a light. When officers arrived, they found him unconscious behind the wheel.

Officers removed him from the Jeep, rendered first aid, and administered Narcan which is used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose. He was taken to South Shore University Hospital in Bay Shore and was later released into police custody.

After being charged with DWI impaired by drugs and criminal possession of a controlled substance, Leonard was held overnight at the Bay Shore facility.

Officers realized he wasn’t breathing at around 9 a.m. Friday while preparing to transport him to First District Court. They gave the man first aid but were unable to revive him and he was pronounced dead at the precinct.

Police did not speculate on a cause of death. The Suffolk County Medical Examiner’s office will conduct an autopsy to make an official determination.

Both the New York State Attorney General’s Office and the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision were notified. Suffolk County Police Homicide Squad detectives and the Internal Affairs Bureau are also investigating.

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